Enhance Team Building through Communication

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Communication is the foundation of all human interaction — and the basis of all training programs. From team building and leadership to customer service and supervisory training, communication is a fundamental skill that should be integrated into all types of training.

Whether communication is being addressed directly or indirectly in your training program, lay the groundwork for skill development with SkillBuilders: 50 Communication Skills Activities. This collection of activities addresses all 3 learning domains (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) and involves participants directly in the learning process through its interactive approach.
Uses for SkillBuilders: 50 Communication Skills Activities;

The exercises are basic enough to include in any training program that incorporates communication skills, including those for customer service, sales training, and supervisory skills. A handy applications matrix matches the activities with 8 important communication topics. Many activities have more than one application:

VisualsSpeak ;
VisualsSpeak is an effective communication and team game for management development training. Visual communication tools and images surface team differences, improve group and team interaction, establish rapport, and encourage dialogue.
Open your eyes to a new way of improving communication. VisualsSpeak is a training game that uses the power of visual communication to create energy, excitement, and a sense of connection in your training classroom. The activities are fun and engaging, but the learning experience is rich and most likely more powerful than anything you’ve experienced as a trainer. Flexible, customizable, and reusable, VisualsSpeak can be easily incorporated into any training curriculum, including team building, coaching, strategic planning, conflict resolution, and more.
The VisualsSpeak process is powerful, yet easy to use. First you ask a framing question, such as “What kind of place do we want this organization to be?” Each participant answers the question by choosing images, arranging them on a background sheet. After 5 minutes, participants describe the images and their meanings. You will find that some participants’ response range from literal descriptions to metaphoric meanings. Some will choose to describe individual images; others will find meaning in the collection as a whole. Then you discuss the group’s responses and note connections, patterns, similarities. Together, you unlock insights it would have taken months to uncover with conventional methods. Conversations become meaningful and productive. Decisions become clear. Although the activity itself may take up to 15 minutes, the resulting dialogue and learning experience may last much longer. See the “Uses for the Game” section for ideas and suggestions.
Find this tool at HRDQ:

Learning to Listen is an effective communication assessment for management development training that measures listening skills, increases awareness of effective listening behaviors, improves listening skills and promotes active listening for better personal and work performance.
Learning to Listen Second Edition
Statistics show that people remember only half of what they hear, even moments after they’ve heard it. Surprising? The fact is that although most of us like to think we’re good listeners, almost everyone needs to improve their listening skills. Research shows that when people improve their listening skills, there is an increase in morale, safety, quality, sales, and productivity, as well as a decrease in unnecessary turnover and absenteeism. In addition, employees with effective listening skills are more productive with new technologies, and organizations that listen to clients are rewarded with a competitive advantage.
Learning to Listen is a communication assessment that focuses on both the visible and invisible aspects of listening behavior and measures listening skill in 3 dimensions: Staying Focused, Capturing the Message, and Helping the Speaker. The training assessment also provides individuals with their Overall Listening Effectiveness Score.
What separates the Learning to Listen assessment from the competition? While other similar communication assessments identify listening style, Learning to Listen measures listening skills. Focusing on concrete behaviors allows participants to immediately take action on their listening strengths and weaknesses and create an action plan for improvement. The result is employees who are better equipped to handle customer complaints, negotiating contracts, manage teams, and more.

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Learning Outcomes"
Identify listening skills strengths and areas for improvement. Define what it means to listen and understand the importance of effective listening skills at work. Understand common barriers to effective listening. Identify behaviors that are associated with effective listening.Improve listening skills. Theory and Development:
The Learning to Listen assessment was developed in response to specific requests from our clients for training resources on listening. While some customers told us that they expected to teach listening as a stand-alone topic, most said they intended to present listening as a component of a broader skill set. We specifically designed Learning to Listen to be flexible enough to serve both applications.
Learning to Listen measures listening skills rather than listening styles for a specific reason. First, a skills approach is more practical. Participants are more likely to put new skills to use right away. Secondly, skills are more concrete than styles. Participants will find them easier to relate to. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, skills are more changeable than styles, so participants will have a better chance of acting on the self-knowledge they get from completing this.Learn more at HRDQ:Click here to visit HRDQ

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Finding Joy movie link ~
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